Please Come Back To Us
by Gemology
Summary: When Steven Universe becomes injured in battle and must retreat into his gem, Greg and the Crystal Gems are left wondering if they'll ever see the lovable kid again.
1. Chapter 1

"Greg?" Pearl called up the stairs to the balding man that sat on the edge of the bed at the top. He didn't move, didn't make any motion that he heard her. He just stared down at a glimmering red object in his hands, seemingly unaware of the world around him.

"Greg?" she called, a little louder this time, coming up the stairs as she did so. Still, no acknowledgement of her prescence. Gently, she walked up next to him, tapping him on the shoulder.

Startled, Greg Universe nearly dropped the object he had been holding, crying out in distress at his blunder. But Pearl, with delicate ease and quickness, caught it before it could hit the ground. Instead of handing it back to Greg, she took it gently in her own hands, cradling it against her chest. Her worried eyes glanced over it, looking for any signs of reimurgence.

Greg was rubbing his eyes wearily, not seeming to care that Pearl had taken over gem holding duty. He tried to stand up, but wobbled, and immediately flopped back down on the bed, laying back against it. His eyes stayed open, always staring, staring up at the ceiling that Rose Quartz and the other gems had helped him build years ago.

"Greg, when was the last time you slept?" A concerned Pearl looked at Greg. He was looking extremely exhausted. Pearl knew that gems didn't have to sleep, so there was no harm in not doing it. But for humans, not sleeping could lead to a number of health problems.

"What... is... sleep?" Greg managed to mumble. He went to blink, but his eyes stayed closed, thinking how nice sleep might be. But the next instant he realized he was about to slip into unconciousness, and sat up ubruptly, shaking his head back and fourth to wake himself.

"Can I just have my son back?" He said, looking sternly up at Pearl. She was currently mesmarized by the intricasies of the gem she held in her hands. She remembered fondly when Rose Quartz had belonged to the same one, and how until just four days ago it had belonged to Steven.

Pearl moved her gaze to the human, "Greg, when was the last time you ate?" Worry painted her face. All the gems were broken up about Steven, but none of them had normal human needs to attend to. When humans were upset, they often neglected their own well being. For gems, they just had to keep on going. They had to keep fighting, keep protecting the Earth, no matter if they felt like it or not.

"How can you expect me to eat at a time like this?! I might never see my son again!" Truth be told, the pangs of hunger had left him by the third day. Now there was just a knot in his stomach where food should be. "Now give me back the gem!" Greg reached out for it, but Pearl took a step back, staying just out of reach.

Four days earlier, Steven had been injured while out on a mission. The gems had thought he could take care of himself. He was capable of summoning his shield and his bubble upon command. He'd been tossed around in a few fights before, and was seemingly very scrappy and durable. Before Steven was adept at summoning his shield, Pearl, Garnet, and Amethyst were always so careful about keeping an eye on him during a battle. But as his skills had gotten better, they'd been giving him more and more slack, allowing him to take risks, and not generally babysitting him as much as they had before.

Unfortunately, the last mission had cost them dearly. Amethyst had the monster trapped in her whip, and Garnet had another hold on it for extra measure. Pearl had leapt into the air, to deliver a final blow to the head. Steven could see they had everything under control. He had just turned around to head back for the warp pad, eager to not miss the next episode of Crying Breakfast Friends. He knew the gems would catch up in a few seconds.

But as he turned around, the creature decided it wanted to make a last blow. It struggled from under the grasp of the two gems, wiggling it's claw out just enough that it was pointing in the same direction as Steven. It shot out several spikes from its claw tips, aimed right at Steven. All the gems were too far away to defend him in time.

"STEVEN!" They'd all cried out at once. But before he could respond, his back was pierced with the several shards from the corrupted gem. He dropped to his knees with a yelp, shaking for a few moments. Pearl finished off the corrupted gem, and Garnet quicky bubbled it. Panic was rising within all three.

It was a rookie mistake for all of them. This was all their fault. They should have listened to their better judgement, to that voice in the back of all their minds that said, _he's still too young_. But he was a crystal gem too. He had successfully defended them from the Homeworld gems. He'd rescued them from imprisonment. He had made such strides, such progress, all on his own. Even Greg's worry had begun to subside. It had caused them to become complacent, to stop babying Steven.

As they rushed over, Steven's body poofed away, leaving only the Rose Quartz gem. Amethyst was the first to reach it. She scooped it up in her hands, tears already spilling out from her eyes. Pearl was next, taking it gently from Amethyst as the purple gem buried her face in her hands. Pearl's body quivered, her fingers grazing over the polished stone. Garnet hung back as usual, but there was obvious concern written on her features.

Pearl looked up at her leader, her face streaked with tears. "Garnet, is he going to be okay?" She already knew Garnet wouldn't have an answer, but she wanted reassurance from somewhere. Steven might be gone for good, and it was all their fault. How could they have let this happen? What were they going to tell Greg?

"Steven is a crystal gem. He'll come back to us." Garnet replied firmly. She wasn't sure if she believed that herself, but she had to offer some bit of comfort to her teammates. "Come on, let's go back to the temple." Garnet knew there would be no more missions today. They would all need to rest and recuperate from what had just happened.

Amethyst and Pearl weren't sure if Garnet was right. But they were gems, and they always regenerated. Steven had poofed away just like they did when their bodies were too injured. But a half human gem was such an unkown territory. However, they realized that there was nothing more they could do but wait.


	2. Chapter 2

After four days of little rest and food, Greg finally snapped. "I knew these missions were too dangerous! I knew I shouldn't have let him go on them. I thought you were all responsible enough to not let anything happen to him!" Greg scoured at the floor, not even sorry for what he'd just said. He was angry, he was hurt, he was upset. He was, in fact, grieving. He'd resigned himself to the fact that Steven might never be back. That this gem might be all he had left of Rose, of his son, of his family. The worst part was that he partially blamed himself too. He never should have let Steven do something so dangerous. He was his father, and what kind of dad let his son get killed by a monster?

"Greg, you need to rest." Pearl placed an affectionate, almost motherly hand, on his back. "Sometimes it can take awhile for a gem to regenerate. Not taking care of yourself won't bring him back any faster. Regeneration can take weeks. You can't keep going on like this." She tried not to let it show how much his words had hurt. The gems had done nothing but blame themselves since the incident. They didn't need a reminder of how they had failed, or how much they had hurt Greg.

The human gave an exasperated sigh, laying back across the bed, his legs still hanging from the edge. He did feel exhausted, drained emotionally, physically, and mentally. He really could use a rest. But he was reluctant to let the Crystal Gems watch over the Rose Quartz gem, after they'd failed to protect Steven's human body.

Pearl didn't mention that Steven might not know HOW to regenerate. But he was a strong, smart boy. He'd figure it out... if it was possible. If there was even some piece of him left. She couldn't let Greg give up hope. Steven had said she took two whole weeks to regenerate, and that was for a simply sword through the torso. Steven had received much more damage-the incident flashed again in Pearl's mind, and she had to quickly turn away from Greg to hide her fearful tears.

She began to head back down the steps the Rose Quartz gem pressed to her chest. But her departure did not go unnoticed by Greg, even in his weakened state.

"Hey, where do you think you're going?!" He excalimed as he bolted upright.

Pearl tried to brush away the moisture on her face, as she turned to him. She had to be strong for him. "You need rest and food. Steven will be safe in the temple while you recover. You won't bring him back any faster by causing yourself physical harm." she said, matter-of-factly.

Greg looked like he was about to speak up and argue, but seemed to think better of it. His vision was becoming clouded and blurry, and he had to admit to himself that he was reaching his limit. He was still extremely worried about Steven, but he also knew that Pearl was right about taking a break.

Maybe she was telling the truth, too, and Steven would assuradely be back. After all, the Crystal Gems knew a lot more about being a gem than he did. All he know about was being human, and when humans died they were gone for good. But Steven handn't died. He had just... gone away. Greg had seen it happen to Amethyst before, but she usually came back in a matter of minutes. Not even knowing if Steven could regenerate was killer.

He crawled under the covers of the bed that normally belonged to Steven. It was weird, sleeping here and not in his van. But he wanted to be nearby in case anything happened regarding Steven. He wished he was like the gems, and didn't have to sleep or eat or rest. But his wishful thinking did not come true, and soon Greg was fast asleep, snoring away the afternoon, his dreams full of his little boy.


	3. Chapter 3

Back in her room, Pearl had delicately placed Steven's gem in the center of one of her many pools. She sat, cross legged, the shimmering gem sitting before her. For a long time, perhaps even hours, she stared at it. She repeated the mission over and over in her mind, thinking of all the things they could have done differently. All the things they could have done in the past to protect him.

Steven was the only piece of Rose Quartz that she had left. What if he didn't regenerate? What if he didn't come back at all? What if all she had left was the empty, hollow gem that had once housed the person she had loved most. She felt so helpless, unable to know what was going to happen.

Garnet had been oddly vague when Pearl questioned her about Steven's reappearance. "Everything is going to be fine." She'd said. But her emotions were so hard to read. Had she meant everything would be fine, even though Steven wasn't coming back? Or that Steven would be back, which would make everything fine? She knew Garnet could see many possibilities about the future. What if she hadn't seen any in which Steven returned? Pearl realized that if that were the case, there was no way Garnet would reveal that information. Besides, the future was always changing.

Pearl studied the gem, looking for any sign that he was still there. Normally, time was trivial, the hours and days and months and years all meshing together. Gems didn't need sleep, they didn't need jobs, they didn't need to eat. Their lives were lived very simply. Everything happened whenever it happened, and they always tried to be prepared for whatever was coming.

But now that she had something to wait for, time seemed to move extremely slowly. Two weeks had felt like no time at all for her to be inside her gem, but now only four days seemed like an eternity. It was difficult to know how long he should take, since he had never retreated into his gem before. Each gem had a general time frame that could be applied to their regeneration. Time was not important for gems, so they could take as long as they needed.

The pale gem realized that what she was feeling was oddly human. Humans always seemed to be waiting for something – a package, a birthday, a holiday, a reunion. They never seemed to be satisfied to just be in the present, always hoping and waiting for something else to come along. Pearl had never had to wait for anything. Gems didn't get bored, they took action! Even if there weren't missions to go one, there was always scouting, reorganizing, cleaning – it was healthy to keep an active mind and body.

"Steven... Rose..." Pearl wasn't sure which she might be speaking to. For all she knew, Steven was gone, and when the gem regenerated it might very well be Rose Quartz. Why then, wouldn't Garnet have told her if that was a potential outcome? It was very frustrating, not knowing when or if the Rose Quartz gem would ever see life again.

Tears filled her eyes as she clutched the gem in her hands, recalling fondly the memories that she and Rose had made over thousands of years. How could Rose do this to her? How could she abandon her, after all they'd been through? After all the times that she had fought to protect her, after all the loyalty that she had displayed! Pearl had given up her life, her home, her friends, all for Rose Quartz. And Rose had left her, all for the love of some human!

There was a part of Pearl that had always wished that Steven would just go away. Even if she didn't get Rose Quartz back, the constant reminder of her was always present. Whenever Steven laughed, or smiled, or joked, or when he got that starry look in his eyes, it always reminded her of the memories she and Rose had shared. Making new memories with Steven was nice, and pleasant, but it would never be the same. And here Pearl was, getting her wish for a life without Steven.

He hadn't done anything to deserve this. It wasn't his fault. He hadn't chosen to be born a half gem, to steal Rose Quartz's physical form in exchange for his own. He hadn't chosen to be injured on the mission. But how could they have left one of their own kind behind? And yet, he wasn't their own kind, he was a human. Pearl wished that Rose was here to help them decide what to do with this new kind of creature. She always knew what to do. Her words were always comforting, her being ever present.

Pearl spoke gently to the stone. "Are you still there, Rose? Steven?" She sighed, knowing there would be no answer. "I wish you'd come back. I miss you." She didn't specify who she might be talking to, but perhaps it was both of them. "I hope you'll come back soon. We could really use you."

"Hey!" Pearl was startled from her speech by a familiar voice. Amethyst leapt from a pool of water below onto the top of the waterfall that Pearl was currently residing on. "You really need to keep your junk from-" She looked curiously at Pearl, who had the pink gem clutched to herself protectively. "What is that?"

Pearl debated lying or running away, but she thought better of it. Steven, or Rose, was a friend to all of them. She shouldn't be selfish and hide the gem away. It certainly wouldn't have been what Rose would have wanted. Pearl delicately held out her hands, showing off the shimmering rock to Amethyst.

"Oh." Amethyst dropped the sword she had been trying to return. Losing Steven had been difficult for all of the crystal gems, and Amethyst had avoided going into the house because she knew Greg had been watching the gem. She hadn't even eaten in days, not that she needed to. Oddly, she hadn't been in the mood to indulge herself in her usual human pleasure since Steven had left.

Pearl stood, wiping the still fresh tears from her eyes. "Greg looked tired." she finally broke the silence. Amethyst hadn't really been aware of how long it had been, but now that she thought about it, she'd been avoiding the house for four whole days. Had Greg not left his post that whole time? Amethyst worriedly thought about checking up on her friend. "I finally got him to sleep." Pearl's words reassured Amethyst of Greg's health. At least someone was looking out for him.

"Maybe, I could watch Steven for a little while?" Amethyst didn't like to admit it, but she was extremely worried about Steven. He was a cool little guy, for a human – well, half human. Amethyst had never really felt like he quite fit in, even if he was fun to have around and to train. Amethyst had never lost a friend until Rose Quartz, so death was a very new concept. She hadn't fought in the war, she hadn't lost hundreds of friends like the others. Losing Steven now was especially hard for her, even if she didn't show it.

Pearl noted that Amethyst had said "Steven", but hadn't mentioned Rose. Did Amethyst not consider the possibility that Steven might not be the one to reemerge? Perhaps it was better, much as Garnet was leaving her in the dark, to leave Amethyst in the dark as well. Even though she was reluctant to let the Rose Quartz gem out of her sight, Pearl knew that her teammate needed this. Her friend needed this. Just as Pearl had been guarding and grieving for hours, so to did Amethyst deserve the same.

"I don't see why not." Pearl tried to act nonchalant, despite her inward hesitation. She passed the gem to Amethyst, noting her slightly shaky hands. "Let me know if you want me to take over again, or if you... need anything." The pale gem could tell that Amethyst was more concerned than she was letting on. Pearl knew all too well what it was like to miss someone you loved. Amethyst hadn't gotten to know Rose Quartz as much as Pearl had. Perhaps Amethyst felt a similar protective nature for Steven as Pearl did for Rose.

"Thanks, P." Amethyst turned, leaping down into a pool that led back to her own room. As she fled into a far corner of her space, into a cave made of hoarded items and garbage, she was glad that the puddle had soaked through her hair and clothes. It made it much easier to ignore the fact that she was crying.


	4. Chapter 4

Amethyst stared down at the gem before her, her vision blurry from tears. She wished that she had healing tears like Steven, that could somehow magically bring him back to life right before her eyes. But there was nothing she could do, there was nothing any of them could do. Amethyst had never felt more useless.

Not only could she do nothing to bring him back, she hadn't been there to defend him in the first place. They were usually so careful on missions, always watching over Steven, taking care of him and protecting him. What had gone wrong? Why did they ever let their guard down? One thing was for sure: if Steven ever came back, there was no way they were going to let him go on any more missions. Then again, if he came back, wouldn't it prove that he could regenerate just like the others, and be absolutely fine afterwards?

The gem traced a circle on the ground around the red gem, sniffling as she replayed the mission in her mind. Why couldn't it have been her instead? She was always the one that was getting hit by monsters or crashing into things. She could have regenerated in no time, and none of them would have to have the guilt that they may have killed Rose's son.

Amethyst wiped her eyes, blowing her nose on her shirt. She brushed her hair from her face, so she could see clearly from both eyes. She picked up the gem, looking at it closely, turning it this way and that, checking for anything that might indicate Steven was going to come back. But after awhile, she sighed, cushioning it in her hands and placing them in her lap.

Amethyst hated waiting. It was why she always regenerated so quickly. Resting inside her gem was a waste of time. There were things to eat and places to explore and monsters to fight. Plus, she didn't want her popularity with Steven to get one-upped by Pearl or Garnet while she was out of commission. Amethyst liked to do things quick and dirty.

"Hey dude." She ran one hand over the polished surface, watching the gem reflect in the light. "I don't know if you can hear me. But we all miss you a lot. I know Garnet might not say it, but I think she blames herself for this. We all do, really. I think that's why she's been gone so much. I think-I think Ruby and Sapphire might be separating, and Garnet doesn't want us to know how much she's hurting. Pearl's pretty upset too. I'm really sorry, Steven. We shouldn't have let this happen to you. _I_ shouldn't have let this happen to you. I'm always making mistakes, but usually only I have to deal with the consequences. Please come back to us, buddy. We'll keep you safe, I-I promise." Amethyst let out a sob, holding the quartz gem to her own.

She hated when the other gems saw her cry. It made her feel weak. But in the comfort of her own room, Amethyst felt safe to let her emotions flow. Rarely could she remember crying so much. The last time she'd holed herself away for a good cry had probably been... Rose's passing. And right before she'd left, she'd asked them to take care of Steven. It had been such a simple request! Babysit a little boy! How could they fight monsters so much bigger than themselves, but they couldn't take care of one little kid?! They'd all promised Rose, and they'd failed. It had been her dying wish, and here Amethyst was holding the very gem that they were supposed to protect.

Amethyst rocked back and forth for awhile, sobbing and whimpering. She hadn't cried so hard in a long time, and it felt kind of good to finally let everything go. Every time she started to feel better, she glanced down at the gem pressed to her chest, and all the guilt and failure washed over her again, bringing a fresh wave of tears.

It was probably hours, but it could have been days, that Amethyst's just stayed and stared at the Rose Quartz gem. What did time even matter? In fact, what did anything even matter? When Rose Quartz herself had first given up her body to become Steven, it had been a difficult time for all the Crystal Gems. But Steven had been a distraction from their sorrow, their promise to Rose always a constant in their minds. But not only was their leader gone now, but their hope for the future as well. Steven had Rose's shield and powers, and from the way his abilities were progressing and the way he always tried to initiate team building activities, he was shaping up to be every bit as great of a leader as Rose was. And now all that hope was gone.

Eventually Amethyst pulled herself from her room, her feet dragging and her head low. She was glad that none of the other gems had come to check on her, and seen her in this state. She carefully held Steven's gem in both hands, acting quite atypical of her normally rambunctious nature. It was midday in the house when she exited her space, the sun shining brightly through the windows.

Greg was sitting on the steps leading up to the bedroom, but her perked up when the purple gem entered. "Amethyst! How's-" He cut himself off as he saw Amethyst's expression, his gaze flying to the red gem she still held in her hands. Amethyst could only sigh, her grief rendering her unable to form words. Greg gently took the gem from her, cradling it against himself. They both felt so lost.

It was Garnet that pierced the silence, the squeak of the screen door opening giving away her arrival. Her glasses, as usual, covered her eyes, hiding her expression. The tallest gem walked over, standing before the two. "Greg. It's my turn to watch Steven." she said, matter-of-factly.

Of course, Greg was reluctant to let go of his son now that he'd finally gotten the gem back again. But he knew the Crystal Gems were just as much Steven's family as he was, and even though he couldn't help but at least partially blame them for what happened, he knew they loved his little guy every bit as much as he did. With a last look at the gem, he passed it to Garnet.

"Thank you, Greg." Garnet placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. As she headed off to her own room, she moved the comforting touch to Amethyst's head. Garnet was trying to be strong for all of them, as she always was. But she'd been gone so often since the incident because she knew she wasn't strong, she knew she couldn't be the leader that Pearl and Amethyst needed to depend on. She was unstable, and every bit of an emotional wreck as her teammates.

It was difficult enough pretending that she was fine for the few moments she was in the same room with Amethyst and Greg. But as soon as the Rose Quartz gem had been placed in her hand, she knew she could only stay composed for a few seconds.

Amethyst stood silently after Garnet had gone, wondering what she should do now. She didn't feel like doing anything. She pondered eating, then entertained the idea of visiting the Kindergarten, or maybe a simple walk on the beach would do her some good. In the end, she retreated back to her room, now empty handed, leaving Greg by himself once again.


End file.
